Americans place less importance on environmental issues than they did in 1971, a year after Earth Day was established, according to a new HuffPost/YouGov poll

Poll Finds Americans Less Concerned About The Environment Now Than When Earth Day Began

The 1971 Nixon poll found that 63 percent of respondents said that it was "very important" to work to restore and enhance the national environment, with 25 percent saying it was "fairly important" and only 8 percent saying it was "not too important." But in the 2013 HuffPost/YouGov poll, only 39 percent of respondents said it was very important, while 41 percent said it was fairly important and 16 percent said it was not too important.

Similarly, 56 percent of respondents to the Nixon poll said that federal spending to enhance and restore our national environment should be increased, while only 4 percent thought it should be decreased and 30 percent said it should be kept at present levels. In the HuffPost/YouGov poll, only 29 percent said that such spending should be increased and 33 percent said it should be decreased, while 26 percent said it should be kept at present levels.